Three weeks after ousting Kevin McCarthy, the U.S House of Representatives is stuck at a standstill as the House has been unable to select a Speaker.
First, it was House Majority Leader, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who won the conference’s speaker nomination, but dropped out days later amid fierce backlash from hard-right lawmakers.
Then came Jim Jordan of Ohio who also won Republicans’ speaker nomination, but was forced to withdraw after three failed floor votes.
Now, eight Republicans have signed up to run for the coveted position.
Initially, they were nine in number but one of them, Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, announced on Monday, October 23, 2023, evening that he would drop out of the race to instead focus on his “commitment to President Trump to help lead his campaign in Pennsylvania.”
“I believe the House will elect a new speaker, and I know we will be in good hands with one of our colleagues running,” Meuser said in a statement.
As such, House Republicans are slated to hold an internal vote at conference meeting on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, to determine which or if any of their eight declared speaker candidates can garner enough support to be selected for the vacant post.
The Eight House Republicans who have launched their speakership bids are Jack Bergman of Michigan, Byron Donalds of Florida, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Gary Palmer of Alabama, Austin Scott of Georgia and Pete Sessions of Texas.
Due to the fact that Republicans wield a thin majority in the House, any speaker candidate can only afford four defections within the party and still secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel.
The chamber is unable to advance any legislation without a Speaker. Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass a supplemental funding package providing aid to Ukraine and Israel, but the House cannot consider such a bill until a new speaker is elected.
Despite the high stakes, House Republicans have been unable to unify around a single candidate.
Planned Recess Jeopardized
The hard-right House Freedom Caucus has demanded that members remain in Washington DC until a new speaker is elected, jeopardizing the chamber’s planned recess starting next week.
“We must proceed with all possible speed and determination,” the caucus said in a statement released on Monday.
“Intentional and unnecessary delays must end. It serves only the lobbyists of the swamp and defenders of the status quo to continue to drag out this process,”it added.
Of the declared candidates, Tom Emmer is arguably the best known within the conference, because of his position as the House majority whip.
But Emmer has shown an occasional willingness to clash with Donald Trump, which could endanger his prospects of winning the speaker nomination.
For example, Emmer is one of just two speaker candidates, along with Scott, who voted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election despite Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud in battleground states.
However, Emmer also signed an amicus brief urging the US supreme court to invalidate the election results of four key swing states, which would have voided Biden’s victory in the presidential race.
READ ALSO: Macron Makes Solidarity Visit To Israel
